The Women’s Fashion Authority in Bird-Speakman

The best garments in the mid-1930s in Delaware could be found at the boutique at Ninth and Tatnall streets, where it remained until closing in 1966.

by Drew Ostroski

Photo courtesy of Delaware Historical Society (dehistory.org)

Starting in the mid-1930s, local women headed to Bird-Speakman to find prestigious women’s wear. The store, at Ninth and Tatnall streets in Wilmington, was opened by Marjorie Speakman in 1934. It closed in 1966. Speakman, who died in 1978, was a businesswoman who also worked as an advocate for arts, education and historic preservation.

If something in a recent issue caught your eye—good or bad—put your thoughts together and send a letter to the editor, here!